How to Break up with a Vampire
by Ryoshu
Summary: Bella gets dumped in the woods, but gets handed some inspirational books by Jacob and Angela leading to some unusual conclusions. Tanya, Kate and Irina get involved after a visit from Laurent. Why does scent matter?
1. Unbelievable

Chapter 1 – Unbelievable

AN – This is a WIP. I give fair warning it may not be finished. I am a solid starter, but terrible at at closing. However, I do have the first 7 chapters mostly written, so that's something. Thanks to all the other ffnet writers who have given my brain such wonderful universes to explore and I hope if you have any interest this gives you something in return.

The whole coven had their doubts about the 'human' situation with the Cullens. After a brief phone conversation between Tanya and Carlisle, they knew that a potential convert to their diet was being sent their direction. The details were sketchy at best. The gist was there had been an altercation between his family and some nomads, one of whom was interested in learning more about their chosen 'vegetarian' lifestyle. Carlisle had informed Tanya his name was Laurent, and due to the recent events, his family was not the best suited for this introduction and retraining.

Tanya had readily agreed to help her friends, but remained suspicious about the whole vibe of the conversation. Carlisle had sounded clipped, and unlike their usual phone chats, this one had barely lasted two minutes. He did not elaborate on what else was happening or talk about how his family was doing or even ask about hers. Tanya suspected something was going on with the Cullens, but had no idea what. Tanya, as the Northwest Territory Ispán, was within her writes to press for information, but these were her friends so she let the minor infraction of failing to report the referenced altercation slide. After passing her thoughts onto her coven in a meeting called right after the call, Eleazar confirmed her thoughts that Laurent being sent to them was likely only part of the whole situation. Eleazar had shook his head, and suggested they wait until Laurent arrives and garner information from him. The Denali clan agreed to wait to act further without more information. Tanya had wanted a clan agreement, as not taking action could result in punishment for them failing to respond to a potential law violation within their territory.

A few days later, an unknown vampire showed up one hundred yards from the Denali lodge and stayed still. The clan was unsure if this was who Carlisle had sent or not, so only Kate and Eleazar went out to do the meet and greet. After stepping out onto the front yard to put some distance between them and the house, they observed the unknown vampire with the dark toned skin, bare feet, ragged clothes, and dreadlocks. He immediately raised his hands once they stepped out of the house, and kept his posture relaxed.

"Good evening. My name is Laurent." The dark skinned man with dreads kept holding up his hands. He only saw two vampires visually, but knew there were five based on scent. "I come in peace. Carlisle told me to find you if I was interested in trying a different way of eating."

Kate snorted a bit. "You do know we eat animals right? You don't appear to have been trying very hard." Kate had noticed Laurent had taken his sweet time getting here, and his eyes were still solid red.

Laurent gritted his teeth and growled a little. He was extremely displeased at this unwelcome greeting. His hands dropped to his sides and curled in preparation of possibly needing to defend himself.

Eleazar shook his head a little in exasperation at Kate's unhelpful hostility. "Welcome sir. I apologize for my coven mate, she gets a little excited sometimes. My name is Eleazar. If you have questions, I will do my best to offer answers." Eleazar spread his hands out wide in a placating gesture and gestured to the front porch chairs. "Would you like to join me?"

"Fine." Kate huffed and zipped over to a seat. She chose the one closest to the lodge entrance and flopped down with a dramatic sigh. No longer looking at Laurent, and choosing instead to read a book instead, Kate's attitude was laissez faire.

Elezar shrugged his shoulders at Laurent, and gestured again as he slowly made his way to one of the other chairs and relaxed into it. Both Kate and Eleazar waited to see of Laurent would join them. Kate sighed dramatically and fidgeted to display her impatience. Eleazar shook his head a bit at her antics and sat still with poise, that Laurent realized could only come from having lived a very long time. Older vampires no longer moved like humans. Laurent thought Kate to be awful young if she could not remain still for even just a few moments.

Laurent relaxed his stance and strolled over to the last open seat. He sat gingerly on the seat, not really comfortable with how this whole introduction was playing out. Laurent had expected something closer to the Cullens, but this coven was less welcoming despite his introduction. Laurent wondered for a moment what sort of introduction if any had been made for him by the head of that other coven. The rude female had not even had the courtesy to introduce herself. He decided that since she appeared to be so young to ignore her as much as he could, and even turned his body away from her to face Eleazar more fully. Laurent believed Elezar to be the elder in the greeting party, and the foolish female was obviously too young to be worth noting. Laurent scoffed a bit as he dismissed Kate before turning his back to her, feeling she was beneath his notice and would pose no threat.

"So Laurent, what can we help you with today?" Eleazar spoke softly, garnering Laurent's attention.

Laurent made a small palm up sweeping motion, "I came today to find out more about your coven and lifestyle. One of my companions had a rough turn the last couple of days, so that is the reason for my delay. Eating is not my only concern." He grinned with lots of teeth at his own humor.

"Understandable." Eleazar agreed. "Life does often challenge. So what would you like to know?"

"How can you stand it? I tried eating a moose a ways south of here, and it was like drinking muddy water." Laurent made a disgusted face.

Eleazar grimaced in agreement. "Animal type does make a difference. What they eat, how old, health, and other such details are all factors in flavor."

"So some taste better than others? Huh. I suppose that make sense. Some humans taste better than others too. Emotions, age, and health do seem to influence human flavor." Laurent placed his hands on his knees and relaxed a little more in response to Eleazar's non-threatening and sympathetic demeanor.

"I follow my nose. When I am not sure, that is the easiest way. If it smells better Laurent, then it will be better tasting too." Eleazar offered up an easy tip with a minute quirk to his lips.

"Humans smell so good too. I will have to contemplate this for a bit. I am not sure how this will work. Humans smell immensely better than animals."

"Just try out different animals until you find ones that work for you. Would you like some suggestions, and locations that are good to hunt in?"

Laurent nodded. "That would be most helpful. I thank you for your assistance."

Over the next few days, Laurent and Eleazar hung out. Laurent got introduced to everyone and invited into the lodge. Kate and Laurent continued to verbally spar occasionally. Slowly his eyes ebbed towards gold. More importantly to the Denali clan though, was that Laurent was able to flush out the story of what happened when his companions ran into the Cullens.

His companion Victoria lost her mate, James, when he continued to hunt the 'human' belonging to the Cullens. Laurent expressed his confusion, since they all insisted they only ate animals, so why they had a human pet was never understood. Laurent admitted the situation with the Cullens escalated mostly due to James wanting to eat their pet. When asked further, Laurent stated Victoria had claimed to come to terms with this and headed off to Asia. Laurent also assured the Denali clan, that he had not attempted to hunt the Cullen pet. Too much trouble he assured them, plus he understood and respected that pets under their laws belong to someone and are considered property that can be defended without legal repercussions. Laurent knew from experience a few nomads who had been ended for taking from pets that did not belong to them. It turned out James could not resist, and yes the human had smelled good, but not worth dying for, as James did. Laurent and Victoria discovered too late that James had not followed the law or their advice, and were unable to stop James from dying at the hands of the Cullens. Laurent had not actually witnessed the death of James, but Victoria stated had felt it when her maker died. Laurent assured them Victoria had decided to head off to Asia anyway, and he had left her with some other friends of theirs in Bangkok.

The Denalis were careful not to share too much with the nomad, especially since Irina sensed he was not entirely forthcoming with his reasons for being here. None of the Denali clan spoke of powers or abilities or age with any specifics. Everyone except Eleazar worked hard to promote themselves as young vampires with lots of unnecessary human movements. Only Carmen and Eleazar spoke anything other than English. Laurent continued to address Eleazar as if he was the coven leader, and everyone felt the ploy of keeping truths hidden to be successful.

After hanging out for a few days, Laurent stated he wanted to travel and try out other wildlife. Eleazar suggested several hunting grounds all over the world for him. Laurent gave thanks, and took off for parts unknown. The clan waited for a few hours to plan, as Carmen scouted the area to ensure that Laurent had left.

Everyone came together in the lodge to discuss what to do about the 'human pet' situation. The Cullens were obviously in a dangerous situation for such a young coven. No Denali had been able to reach any of the Cullens for a few days now. The communication breakdown had been noticed and traced back until shortly before Laurent had shown up. No one from the Cullen coven could be reached to validate any of the details presented. The Denali clan was a bit worried since this was unusual. Even the email addresses and alternate contact numbers were no longer valid.

"There is more to this than what we have been told. My friend Carlisle has never had a human pet or any interest in having one. I am very worried about my friends. Were they older or living differently this having a human pet would be of no concern, but this does not make any sense. " Eleazar insisted. "Plus I am shocked my friend would forget the consequences of killing another vampire's mate, even over a pet that response will have consequences. We could have the makings of a regional blood bath. Clans have went to war for less in the past. Victoria may be detained at the moment, but for how long?" Eleazar clenched his hands together and gave a small sniff to express both his frustration and dismay.

Tanya soothed, "Calm down my friend. I am well aware the information does not add up, and I agree with your assessment. I am very worried about the current status of our friends. I have an approach plan for us already. It will require some discomfort on our part, but I am afraid of what might have already have happened." Tanya stood and paced a bit. "As we can not get the information remotely and therefore assess what is happening, I think it is time we paid them a visit."

Tanya glanced at Irina and Kate. "Here is the plan. As this could be a potentially hostile situation we are wandering into, I want you two to scout and run reconnaissance. Do not announce your presence. In fact do your best to remain hidden until we can assess what the situation is with our friends, and their pet. Human pets have traditionally been bones of contention amongst vampires so perhaps there are others who also wanted our friends' pet for themselves. Also I want a full report on the area, animal counts, human deaths, news reports, rumors of sightings, the current status of the shifter tribe, and all the other details. We need diligence in this matter, even though this may risk some friendship feelings. I must remind you, we will be held accountable first for anything that violates our laws.

I will be reaching out to Sulpicia to notify her we are opening an investigation. This should by us some time, in case communications have already reached her about this potentially hazardous situation. I will also be taking a detour to visit the Whitlocks, they should know what is happening in the Southwest Territory without having to engage Maria.

Carmen and Eleazar will stay here for a while longer in case Laurent returns unexpectedly. They will also reach out to other territory resources to help track down the Cullens. Eleazar will be contacting the Spain liaison, and Carmen I need you to follow up with your South American contacts. Find out if they are in Europe or maybe that island Carlisle bought for Carmen a ways back. Make sure everyone takes a satellite phone and a human kit for yourself. We are not taking any chances. That way we will be able to maintain communications, and blend in much better if needed. Plan to meet up at the cabin near Victoria in one week. Any questions so far?" Tanya looked confidently at her coven.

Directing her attention specifically to Kate and Irina, Tanya requested gently "You will need to part from your mate for a few days, is that acceptable? Please assure me that this plan is alright for you two." Tanya met Irina's eyes as she offered, "Otherwise I can have Eleazar and Carmen go visit the Whitlocks, but I was hoping they would have the freedom to follow up on any leads as a team, while we focus our efforts on our territory."

Irina squeezed her mate's hand briefly before standing and walking right up to Tanya, pulling her into a hug to convey comfort and companionship. "Csillagom, do not trouble yourself so. We will be fine for that short of time. But your suggestion to find the Cullens is a good one. For now let us use your plan. Kate and I will scout out the situation and also check on our holdings we have hidden there. I feel pleased that you would entrust us with such an important part of your strategy." Irina loosed her hold and reached to cup Tanya's cheek. Tanya was slightly taller, but at the moment with body positioning seemed smaller than Irina. Irina whispered intimately, "I will take good care of our mate. I trust you as well. I know we do not separate often, but everything will be fine?" Irina let go slowly, and stepped back to join hands with Kate once again.

Tanya held up her hand, "One more thing before I forget. Emergency conditions apply. Eat when you need to. Do not worry if it is outside the usual diet, just be careful in choosing. We are moving into a more populated area, so you all have permission to act on necessity." Tanya grinned maliciously, "There is nothing wrong with thinning the herd a bit to protect the humans we like, or taking care of other needs. Please be careful to not disturb the balance. Seattle and Port Angeles are nearby hunting grounds to use for those needs not met by animals. We are heading into a potentially hostile situation, a more human filled diet is a necessity to ensure we are at full strength especially as will be separated intermittently. Finally do not hesitate to use the emergency supplies stashed at any of our hideouts. Remember: practical people survive."

Everyone in the coven came together in a huddle at Tanya's wordless gesture with her hands toward herself. The silence was heavy with unspoken emotion for a few moments. They all put their heads together as one. Tanya whispered with an emotionally roughened voice into the small space between all of them, " _Akinek vaj van a a fején ne menjen a napra._ Be smart. Keep your heads. Be careful." All the Denali coven members hugged each other tighter for a few moments again before emotions were managed into the background.

Everyone nodded silently as hand holds eased, and they dispersed with mere whispers of air. Tanya grabbed her phone and started making some calls, as she moved into her office. Her instincts were screaming caution, so hoped she had done a good enough job at conveying that.


	2. Unexpected

Chapter 2 – Unexpected

Kate, and Irina reached the area of Forks Washington two days later. They had made sure to hunt before arriving in order to be prepared for any situation. The region had been approached with caution, and news feeds had been scanned before being within range of any potentially dangerous situations. Some news reports had come from Seattle that appeared to be suspiciously like vampire attacks, so the scouting team avoided hunting in the Seattle area on their way to Forks.

Their first destination was the Cullen house. Scanning the house from a distance, it appeared empty, and upon closer inspection was decidedly deserted. Irina frowned when walking into the house. Dust was lightly laying over everything, but nothing appeared to be stored properly for long term. None of the couches were covered, and even some of other household items were not put away as they should be to prevent any damage from disuse or pests.

Irina frowned. "Esme would not leave her home in this fashion. It looks like no one has been here in awhile." Irina sniffed. "At least two weeks or more since any of our friends have been in this house. But why would they leave without storing their belongings or locking their house properly? This concerns me." Irina became worried walking around and sniffing occasionally. "No new smells either, so no one has been using this space while they are gone which means they left all this undone. Our friends appear to have left in a hurry. Perhaps they were running away from the living mate?"

"I don't know Irina. This is weird. I knew these guys were young, and sometimes kind of sloppy as all younger vampires are, but still why not call or something? Besides there is like five of them against one vengeful vampire. How tough could that be?" Kate was also looking around for clues in the mail they had picked up from the box at the end of the driveway.

"Well I agree with the left in a hurry assessment. They didn't even shut down their mail properly. There is some food left in the kitchen as well." Irina strode into the main room from the kitchen. "Esme is not sloppy. Your idea of needing to flee seems likely, but it is difficult to ascertain why. Maybe one of them slipped, perhaps even with their pet?" Irina shrugged her shoulders. "If there aren't any more clues here, then let's go outside and see if we can pick up any trails."

Kate nodded. "Good idea Irina. Let's see what we can hunt down. Too bad it's been a while, tracking will be more difficult especially since this area rains so much."

Irina zipped her way outside and started making her way around the perimeter in ever increasing circles. Kate joined her in an alternating pattern to ensure no scent trails were missed. After a few minutes, Irina provided some more details.

"Alright I have sorted out all the Cullens scents. I also found a faint trace of Laurent, another unknown vampire, and a human. Since the human's scent is also inside our friends' house, this appears to be the scent of the human pet who was the spark for all the damage. Interesting to note, the human and the unknown vampire scents are the much more recent. I would say the human was maybe two days ago. The human's trail leads to the back door off the kitchen and into the house.

The unknown vampire was here maybe a week ago at most. The vampire did not wander around and seemed to stay in the same spot where the driveway clears the trees for the final stretch to the garage. Laurent had a similar scent on him of this other vampire scent, so I will hypothesize that this is Victoria. I have both parties marked so we should be able to inspect around the area to narrow down their currently frequented locations. It is strange though, why the human scent is much newer than our friend's. The other piece is that there is only a single human scent, so did they leave behind their pet?" Irina had a horrified grimace expression thinning her lips.

"This just keeps getting stranger and more dangerous." Kate paused and grinned. "I think setting up base here won't work for confirming who the other vampire and the human are. Let's leave like we were just looking too and go crash at the bat cave."

Irina pulled out a small box from her pack. "Excellent idea Katya. I will set up some basic surveillance cameras. We may get lucky and not tip our hand at the same time."

"Let's head over there now. Be sure to take an alternate indirect route to the cave. In a few hours it will be dark and easier to scout the town itself. Following scents is easier when you do not have to worry about attracting unwanted attention." Kate chuckled as she grabbed a couple of the miniature devices from Irina and set out to place them.

Irina and Kate finished setting up the surveillance equipment and went to their cave.

The cave resembled an underground bunker. It had been dubbed the bat cave by Kate after watching Irina and then the rest of the coven, dig out to expand a small cave discovered under a waterfall, disassemble a cabin and rebuild in the newly enlarged space. They had also installed a small lab and an extremely high tech computer system. Kate had dubbed it the 'bat' cave after one of her favorite superheroes. Due to the waterfall and other plants that had been strategically placed in the area by the Denali coven, scents were difficult to follow to the underground home. This made the cave a safe place. One never knew when a quick hideout was going to be needed. The cave had also let the Denali coven visit their friends without worrying about overcrowding.

Irina arrived and began starting up all the equipment. It would take a while to bring the generator and computer systems online so they could watch the Cullen house without being detected. Kate finished the scent hiding procedures, and began assisting with the base setup procedures, so everyone had a place to go to if needed. The cave was smaller than their home in Denali, but over the years had grown enough so everyone could claim a quiet space.

After getting everything setup and recording, Irina called Tanya to let her know what they had found so far. Tanya approved their plan and stated, she would simply meet them at the cave in five days instead of Canada. Tanya informed them that one her friends in London had seen Alice and Jasper, but none of the rest of the coven. Eleazar was following up on some leads that Edward had been spotted in the port city leading to their private island, and he was attempting to get in touch with some local contacts now. Irina stated that they would report in as soon as they had more information on either the vampire, or the human.

A few hours later the women were wandering stealthily around Forks. A scenting of the town outskirts turned up more of the unconfirmed vampire, but only vague faded hints of the human. After failing to find either one of the individuals they were searching for, Irina suggested scenting some of the human social epicenters like the grocery store or the high school.

"Do the Cullens still do that? Ugh." Kate groaned. "College I can understand repeating since the knowledge base changes, but high school? I never understood that mentality. Teenagers and hormones. So smelly. Yuck."

"Yes, but almost all of the Cullens were much younger than we were when they were changed." Irina shrugged. "Perhaps it's more difficult to pass as an adult when you don't look like it. To be fair, I don't understand it either. We were not changed out of necessity though like the Cullens." Irina squeezed Kate's hand. "We were hand picked, prepared, and trained for our change. We were lucky."

"I don't know about that. I mean why can't they use makeup and stuff like we do when we need to disguise ourselves. I have always thought that was a flimsy excuse." Kate argued. "Fair about the lucky part though. I got you didn't I?" Kate winked at Irina and then squeezed her hand in return.

Irina ever the calm one, "Regardless of the Cullens high school attendance, will we be able to sort out a single human's scent from that heavily trafficked area?" Irina lifted Kate's hand to her lips and kissed it briefly. "I am so pleased I got you too Katya, my dear."

"No harm in trying. We can always go to other places too like the library, or the sporting good store I saw on the outer edge of town. It's just that we know the Cullens were fond of attending high school so that seemed a logical starting point." Kate grinned and leaned over to kiss Irina in the corner of her mouth. "Alright well let's go see what we can find then."


	3. Understated

Chapter 3 – Understated

AN- My internet is surprising flaky at the moment. So please forgive my lack of responses to reviews. Instead I am posting a new chapter while I still have a connection.

Within two hours, the Denali scouts had identified all the key scent locations in and around Forks. The boundary with the shifters had been noted. The unknown vampire scent, determined to be Victoria until other evidence presented itself had been color coded on the map despite its seemingly random pattern changes. The human was discovered to have a much smaller range of movement around town. The human's trail was almost exclusively from a small older two story house to the high school and local library. Faded trails led to the Cullen's' house, local shops, and to some clearing in the forest about five miles outside of the town proper.

They gathered back together in their hidden cave to discuss findings after finishing the scouting excursion. They had found Victoria's scent all over town, especially in places where the human pet was. The most recent and heaviest was discovered around the home of the human. As some of the local forest was close to the backyard of the home, the scent was strongest there. The vampire's trails also seemed to disappear and reappear around the shifter border which was confusing only because the reason was not immediately obvious. These shifters hated and hunted vampires per the information provided by the Cullens in the past, so it was a mystery as to why Victoria was trespassing onto their territory. This piece of the puzzle was definitely worth investigating further. Irina had also followed the trails towards Seattle and into the ocean. The trails left by Victoria were sporadic, and Irina admitted that had her tracking skills been less following would have been impossible. Irina admitted to be mildly impressed with Victoria's skills in camouflaging her scent trails. Irina and Kate shared their maps of the human and vampire movements, and began correlating the information onto a much larger map of the area placed on the wall facing the surveillance monitors.

After sharing all the details, it was agreed to continue to monitor the situation. None of the Denali clan present had visually spotted any of the shifters or Victoria while scouting. There had also been no communication from the Cullens. A watch the human shift schedule was created. The human pet had been important to the Cullens and was left with the knowledge of vampires to live as an unprotected human. The Denali clan knew this was a clear violation of the laws, and did not yet know enough about this situation to make a decision on how to handle this. Kate had texted a short status update to Tanya to ensure their leader was kept in the loop. No one understood why the Cullens would take such a great risk to their coven. The plan was to watch the human and hopefully get a response from the Cullens. There was enough information to make sure their friend's human was taken care of, one way or another. The Cullens would have to face punishment for this infraction, but the Denali clan were hoping it could be handled within the rights of their territory. The Denali's were nervous though, since they also violated the law by not reporting the full details immediately, but having Tanya communicate the initial report should give them some tenuous cover.

Irina took the first shift, positioning herself in a strategic elevation to allow her to watch the area not just the house. Victoria's scent had entered the house, but with multiple entry points it had been impossible to discern which would be chosen, and Irina did not want to be caught unaware by limiting her watch to a single side of the house. Also Irina was watching and scenting for shifters, since one their scents had been discovered to be recently around the house as well. The shifter scents were very faint and had been not been renewed for at least a few weeks. However despite the new human vigilance, Irina did not sense any evidence of any vampires or shifters visiting that night. This provided Irina an opportunity to observe the human without interruptions. Irina made sure to note all the behaviors, time frames, and other details.

Concern steadily overrode all other emotions while watching the human attempt sleep, wake, and leave in an older truck for school. Irina returned to the cave after the human shuffled her way into the high school. Shaking her head at Kate, Irina clenched her hands in an expression of stress.

"I am shocked at what I found." Irina frowned. "The human is a young woman who appears to be barely functional. She spent the night in the throes of nightmares and temperature fluctuations. It was difficult to not to respond." Irina gritted her teeth, and appeared it be struggling with words. "I am certain this description is not adequate." A low growl of frustration came out of her chest. Kate grabbed her in a hug, pulling her head to her shoulder.

"Take a moment." Kate spoke softly to her mate. Kate sat down on the dark leather couch, and pulled Irina down onto her lap. Grabbing both of her hands, and forcing Irina to angle more towards her, Kate requested gently, "Tell us what you discovered."

Irina's whole body shuddered. "I haven't seen a human look like that in a long time. It was horrible. Plus the pull was so strong. Both remind me of some scenarios."

"What do you mean?" Kate inquired.

"Remember that young man we came across in Brazil a while back, when we were wandering through South America visiting the Amazon territory?"

Kate shrugged with a non-committal attitude, but then gasped in recognition of who Irina might be referring to. "You mean the lost boy?"

Irina nodded in affirmation, and looked down at their hands clasped together. Irina gently squeezed her hands. Kate return the squeeze and tugged her left hand free, allowing her to place her arm around Irina's waist and grab her hip. Irina leaned into the sideways embrace. Little shivers and small sobs continued for a few minutes. Eventually Irina was able to calm down.

"The body was in motion, but the young woman is not present. The human pet appears to be going through some sort of trauma. It wrenched my spirit to not give any comfort. I am not heartless, and her cries in her sleep were horrid. The human is broken." Irina laid her head on Kate's shoulder. "She is withdrawn, and her carriage and smell both instantly reminded me of the young man. Do you remember? The one we had to lay to rest."

Kate frowned and felt bereft at this situation. This was yet another unexpected complication. This whole series of events was rapidly shifting into a cluster of crap, one ginormous mess. Kate pulled out her phone in preparation for giving Tanya the newest sitrep.

Irina clucked her tongue a little at Kate letting go to grab her phone, "This is very serious."

Kate nodded in agreement. Irina continued " If this young woman is suffering like the boy did, she won't have much time. We will need to contact Tanya and let her know the time frame may need to be escalated for dealing with this situation."

"What do you mean about not having much time Irina?" Kate inquired. In her opinion this situation just kept getting more messed up, but not in a fun way.

"What I mean is that depending upon the stage the young woman is at, she may not have much longer to live." Irina started explaining before being interrupted.

"For real? What are you talking about" Kate had not thought death was so likely a possibility for this human, and she felt shock and sadness at this because this mission was supposed to try and avoid unnecessary deaths from happening. More death always means more attention.

Irina sighed in frustration and turned to face Kate. Irina squeezed Kate's hand gently to get her attention. "Listen csillagom. Please let me finish. Humans are just like everything else, and not all respond to us the same. We already knew the woman was a little different based on what the Cullen's told us and the scent Edward carried with him when he visited initially, but there is more than just that. We also suspected that this human pet was Edward's singer. He did not listen, but he is just a babe. Finally not all humans are designed to be let go back into the wild." Irina rubbed her thumb in gentle circles on Kate's hand. "Some humans respond more actively to our pheromones than others. Some are repelled, some are attracted, some grow attached. You know this from hunting, no?"

Kate pursed her lips tightly together and gave a small nod.

Irina reached over and rubbed Kate's shoulder a little before leaning back a bit and cupping her cheek, offering comfort to her mate. This situation in their territory was stressful. "The young boy or man in Brazil was one of the humans who we discovered was unable to live without vampire pheromones. Some humans are naturally attracted, and once their biology becomes exposed are changed. I do believe the Cullen human may be a lost member of the lost symbiotic humans much like the boy. Exposure to our pheromones is similar to a drug addiction for these humans. They were once bred specifically to respond to us. Depending upon exposure duration, and other health factors determine how difficult the withdrawal is for the affected human. The human will go into withdrawal. Some survive and some do not. The boy was not surviving, so we put him to rest at his request. It was a difficult request to fulfill, but we had not found him in time to make a difference by re-introducing him to our species pheromones." Irina looked down at their hands on Kate's lap and bit her lower lip.

"It is the reason I am so furious with the Cullens. They should have noticed the signs. Although there is not much documentation, there is still some. That is the part of the reason why our clan has human hunting rules." Carmen growled for a moment. "But Carlisle should have known better and noticed. I am so disappointed in him at the moment."

"Wow I guess I hadn't realized that before. Is the human beyond hope? Is there anything we can do?" Kate wondered and ducked her head a little in a sign of embarrassment for not having noticed this before.

Irina instinctively knew what might be bothering her mate clarified a bit, "Our hunting dalliances are too brief to impact a human in that way. That is one of the reasons you never noticed Katya. It is also one of the many reasons why we vary our hunting region so often. But do not dismay, there are so few left after the Southern Clan Wars, that the likelihood of coming across one this human breed is one in a couple of billion. You have a better chance of winning a lottery. " Irina smirked at Kate's gape from her surprise joke. Irina moved her hand from Kate's cheek to close her mouth.

"To answer your question, Kate, I would say yes. We have hope. Her physical condition seems worn, but not sickly. Perhaps that has to do with the semi-frequent visits by Victoria. Who is to say? But we should discuss our options with Tanya as soon as possible. Can you call her please?" Irina moved her hand to Kate's collarbone and laid her head down on the other side.

Kate removed her hand from Irina's hand and pulled out a cell phone. After swiping the screen with her thumb, punching a couple of keys, they heard it dial. A few moments later Tanya picked up on the other line. After the greetings were finished, the scouting party filled Tanya in on the situation. Her mates heard the cold fury in her voice when she explained in no uncertain terms that they were to attempt some solutions to restore the human pet. Tanya explained that if the human was a symbiote, Sulpicia would show no mercy if the human was allowed to die. Tanya let her mates know that a response from Volterra about the investigation was still forthcoming, but that was better than an immediate kill order. No code black had been sent, so the Denali clan would be proceeding with the plan until further instructions arrived. Tanya expressed that they care for themselves as well, and be extra careful of the nomad Victoria. Victoria's actions were even more suspect now with a potential human symbiote involved. Tanya stated she would wrap up business sooner rather than later with Peter, and join them. Neither Peter or anyone in the Southwest Territory had heard from the Cullens in a few months. Her expected arrival would be one day from now. It was decided to proceed without the Cullens input. The clan would handle the human situation first, and then deal with their friends digressions from the law.

After hanging up with Tanya the two mates brainstormed various solutions, but none of them looked like teenagers so joining as students was out. Becoming a teacher would involve removing one, and no one was certain how to do that without drawing a lot of unwanted attention. Finally, Kate suggested treating something like a battery that would help recharge the human.

"Perhaps we could hold onto a ball or something and place it in her bag. The stuff our bodies give off would fade into the area around her. It's not direct exposure, but it seems like that might help maybe?" Kate offered as an idea.

"I think you are onto something with this. What if we did that to her pillow? Then the human would get the chemicals on her while sleeping. Would that be enough maybe?" Irina asked out loud.

"I think so, and on that note we could borrow some of her clothes and put our pheromones on those as well. It would give her all day access to what her body is craving and should ease some of her pain." Kate hummed. "Are we willing to give away that we are here?"

Irina piped up, "I think any vampire with any sense will figure out that we are here and in the area anyway. Victoria is going to come across our scents, especially since we dropped by the Cullen mansion. We made no effort to disguise our presence here in that regard."

"Also perhaps this will warn Victoria off of the human since the scents from us on her clothes, room, and vicinity will let her know the human symbiote is no longer alone. We could make this work for us and improve the situation." Irina added in. "However, this may also result in a reactionary attack on the human, so we will need to be vigilant for that. I also want to drop a marker from our clan on the Cullen and human homes to inform Victoria there is an official territory investigation. That should provide an additional safeguard for the human pet."

"I agree. We should see an improvement within a couple of hours for the human, and hopefully by the time Tanya arrives, she will be improved enough to approach. As long as Victoria doesn't force our hand, we can hold off with direct interaction for a bit until further assessment can happen. Does this plan work for us?" Kate asked. Irina sat up and kissed Kate in confirmation.


End file.
